BSF Accomplishments

The Brain Science Foundation makes grants to support brain tumor research, treatment, and patient care. The BSF's strong working relationship with Brigham & Women’s Hospital and its affiliates allows the Foundation to access the latest thinking in a multi-disciplinary approach to meningioma and other primary brain tumor research and treatment. The BSF is able to fill a critical gap by funding innovations and “seed” projects that other granting agencies would not fund until greater evidence of success is generated. In the recent past, some remarkable goals were reached:

The Brain Science Foundation transitioned from a not-for-profit supporting organization to a not-for-profit public foundation that principally aligns itself with the initiatives related to the Institute for the Neurosciences at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

The BSF funds nearly $1 million annually to support outstanding physician scientists in brain tumor research.

Through the generosity of BSF Trustee Daniel Ponton, the BSF offered a patient empowerment event entitled Taking Care & Taking Charge. This conference was designed to provide tools to brain tumor patients to help them take care of themselves, both physically and emotionally.

The BSF added a new element to Meningioma Awareness Day: “One-on-One: Your Questions Answered” allowing patients and caregivers the opportunity to dialogue directly with physicians and other experts. This program was generously underwritten by BSF Trustee Daniel E. Ponton.

BSF Principal Investigator, Elizabeth Claus, MD, PhD, used the funding she received from the BSF in collaboration with Meningioma Mommas to garner over $15 Million in grants from the National Institutes of Health to continue her intense study on Meningioma Epidemiology. Dr. Claus has recently launched the first ever Genome Wide Association Study of Meningioma, and she is currently enrolling patients in this study. To learn more about enrollment, call Lisa Calvocoressi at 203-764-8422 or email lisa.calvocoressi@yale.edu.

BSF Principal Investigator Nathalie Agar, PhD was a recipient of the Director's New Innovator’s Award, granted by the National Institutes of Health. This grant will provide significant financial support of Dr. Agar’s ongoing development of mass spectrometry.

Alexandra Golby, MD, who has received nearly $1M in BSF funding over the years, is recognized as a pioneer in her field with the development of a one-of-a-kind Advanced Multimodality Image Guided Operating (AMIGO) Suite that allows intraoperative CT, MRI, and PET, during surgery.